ABA is excited to announce findings from “The Workforce Gap in U.S. Commercial Baking: Trends, Challenges and Solutions”, a report commissioned by both ABA and the American Society of Baking that provides details on how wide the gap is for the baking industry, and more importantly, set forth a framework for solutions and programs to help fill the gap.

“Preliminary details show that the dearth in skilled talent, especially involving maintenance and engineering positions, is a major concern for the industry, and the gap will only continue to widen should the status quo remain,” said ABA President and CEO Robb MacKie. “But, more importantly, the report sheds light on some great programs currently underway within the industry, and ABA will focus the rest of 2016 to bring forth tools and resources to help bakers take steps to address their individual talent management needs.”

The report dives into specifics regarding trends among the baking industry, including detailed information on the current and expected gap, along with specific information on challenges and solutions related to recruitment, training and retention. Of note, 84 percent of bakers indicated that machine operators are deficient in needed skills when hired or promoted. At the same time, bakers indicated that the #1 challenge they face in recruiting individuals to enter the industry is a lack of brand identity. “Not only do new hires lack the required knowledge to help fill critical needs within the bakery, qualified individuals are not aware of the benefits of a career in baking, creating extremely barren recruiting grounds for the industry,” said MacKie.

“The good news is that the industry is responding, and the report provides detailed case studies into how individual bakers have created programs to help build a well-trained and loyal base of employees,” added MacKie. “ABA is gearing up to take the remainder of 2016 to build out specific programs that those in the baking industry can utilize to help meet their specific talent management needs.”

The overall project is segmented into three sections and will be publicly released in the coming months. The sections include the statistical findings from the industry survey, a report of branded case studies and a best practices guide in attracting and retaining talent.

For more information on this project, please contact Cory Martin, ABA Director of Government Relations, at (202) 789-0300 or cmartin@americanbakers.org.